Houston, Texas is home to 397 practicing cardiologists who have offices in 4 counties and 37 zip codes, including zip codes 77030, 77090, 77024, 77074, 77008, 77070, 77065, 77082, 77055, 77089, 77004, 77002, 77076, 77058, 77027, 77015, 77005, 77063, 77025, 77054, 77047, 77036, 77098, 77083, 77081, 77072, 77057, 77056, 77059, and 77029.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Houston has a population of 2,016,582, which gives it a specialist to resident ratio of 1 cardiologist for every 5,079 residents.

Texas achieved statehood in 1845, and its capital is Austin. Houston is home to the Johnson Space Center with its world-famous NASA Mission Control. Texas offers a multitude of outdoor activities: you can visit a ranch or a rodeo, or go hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, or canoeing. Popular sites are the Alamo in San Antonio, the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, the Natural Bridge Caverns in San Antonio, or the Padre Island National Seashore in Corpus Christi. Famous Texans include former presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Dwight D. Eisenhower, actors Tommy Lee Jones and Joan Crawford, and musicians Janis Joplin and Buddy Holly.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Texas has a population of 22,859,968. Of this population, 6,219,854 are under the age of 18 and 2,258,423 are at or above the age of 65.

Description

Cardiology is the treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in treating heart conditions such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, coronary artery disease, congenital heart defects, and disease of the heart valves. A cardiologist can inform your doctor about new drugs or tests that may be beneficial to you.

Some heart conditions can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle, and can be fatal. Methods that cardiologists use to study heart conditions include stress tests, a monitor to record your heart rate and rhythm, a biopsy, which studies a tiny piece of heart tissue, and an echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to show a picture of how your heart works.

Diseases / Illnesses Treated

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are blood clot, peripheral vascular disease, angioplasty, hypertension, heart attack, congestive heart failure, angina, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, pericarditis, ventricular tachycardia, acute coronary syndrome, cardiac arrest, bigeminy, heart block, myxoma, cardiac arrhythmias, tricuspid valve disorders, and aortic valve disorders.

Procedures Performed

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including gastric bypass surgery, open heart surgery, valve replacement, valve repair, bypass surgery, carotid artery surgery, catheter ablation, cardiac surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac bypass surgery, cardiovascular surgery, laser angioplasty, valvuloplasty, balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, coronary artery bypass surgery, coronary artery bypass graft, coronary angioplasty, heart transplantation, and carotid surgery.

Tests Performed

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including  electrocardiogram (ecg or ekg), cardiac stress test, holter monitor, echocardiogram, blood test, sphygmomanometer, cardiac enzymes, ivus, electrophysiologic study, and coronary catheterization.